


Why Do Stories Always Have Plots When Some Things Just Are The Way They Are

by InfiniteInMystery



Series: Gintoki's Angsty Mental Moments [1]
Category: Gintama
Genre: Insomnia, Midnight walks, One Shot, That's it, subtle plot, that's all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-12
Updated: 2020-12-12
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:34:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28019349
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfiniteInMystery/pseuds/InfiniteInMystery
Summary: Gintoki can't sleep, so he goes for a walk.
Series: Gintoki's Angsty Mental Moments [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1767850
Kudos: 34





	Why Do Stories Always Have Plots When Some Things Just Are The Way They Are

**Author's Note:**

> A long drabble, because I haven't written in two weeks.

On nights like these, Gintoki already knew that he wouldn't sleep.

There wasn't a storm outside or inside his head, nothing like that. Nothing audible or visual to keep him awake, no looping thoughts, no feelings of dread.

It was one of those really annoying nights where he felt the need to roll from one side to his back to his other side every five or ten minutes, shifting and fidgeting under the blanket despite refusing to open his eyes. He wasn't ready to get up and be productive because he was exhausted. His limbs were heavy, eyes tired every time he cracked them open. Feeling recharged and being exhausted were two completely different things, and Gintoki wanted nothing to do with this awkward state of in between.

_This sucks._

He rolled back over onto his side, eyes gently slipping open in the dark. He couldn't see much, the blinds blocking out most of the light, but he knew where everything was by heart in his house. How many nights had he crept through enemy camps? How many times had he found intruders or enemies, had fought them in the pitch black just like this? How many times had he snuck back in after drinking his own body weight, trying his best not to wake up Kagura as he tried to get back into bed?

That was beside the point.

The point was that, as Gintoki finally sat up, blanket draping lightly around his waist, was that Gintoki simply couldn't sleep. There was no reason, no excuse for it. It just was. He was awake, and no matter how long he kept his eyes shut, he knew he would remain so.

So without really thinking about it, without really having a better idea on what to do about his predicament, Gintoki stood up on his futon with a yawn. He regretted getting out of bed as he stood for a moment, eyes closing once again. Tired but determined as he convinced himself to move, shuffling across his bedroom to his door. Carefully and quietly, he slid it open, making sure he didn't startle Sadaharu in the process, making sure he didn't wake Kagura up either. She would probably accuse him of sneaking out to drink, which was exactly what he _wasn't_ going to do. For once. He didn't want to disturb her sleep anyway, because although he was slightly jealous, he also didn't want her to suffer the way he was.

Instead, he crept silently through his living-room on the tips of his feet to his front door, expertly dodging all the squeaky floorboards, where he stealthily put on his shoes like he would if he was sneaking out like a teen to a house party.

For once, the bar wasn't his destination.

There were no thoughts in his mind as he exited his house, nothing he felt the need to dwell on, nothing to reflect on. There were no bad thoughts either, surprisingly, though no good thoughts instead. He simply stepped out into the cool air with an empty head and casually made his way to the street down below. He shoved his hands into the sleeves of his yukata as he walked on, his feet carrying him through the district some time just after midnight, his posture confident so no one bothered him, not that there were a lot of people out at this time, his eyes attentive to his surroundings just to _see_. To observe, to discover, and to remember. To look at the city he knew so well, and to observe whether there was something else to see, something he hadn't seen before. To experience once again the familiarity around him, to remind him that he was home, he was safe.

Silently, he kept to himself as he walked, the air crisp but tainted with that certain smell that only the Kabuki district had. It was home. It was welcoming. It was familiar. He might not have had a single enlightening thought during the twenty minutes he was out, but he felt connected with his environment. He felt at home. Content. Awake and alert, but also more tired than he had been. He turned another corner, the familiarity of the area welcoming him, suddenly making him yawn.

He was properly tired now. It was time to go home.

Back home, Gintoki slipped back into his own house like a teen dodging curfew just as silently as he had left. He neatly placed his shoes back where Shinpachi had left them to keep his midnight crime under wraps, before he carefully headed into the kitchen. From the sink, he drank directly from beneath the tap ( _like an animal,_ Otose used to complain when she had first taken him in like a stray, _only animals drink like that_ ) before sneaking back into his bedroom and crawling back into his futon. He settled in on his back, the blanket pulled comfortably over him.

Gintoki stared at the ceiling for a moment, reflected on his whole body one limb at a time before letting his thoughts go blank once again. His head was still empty, but his headspace was still different when he finally closed his eyes.

It was at peace.


End file.
